I was never a big fan of the federal Motor Voter Act. But where I really came to despise it was in a county office in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where I applied for my marriage license not long after it took effect. Having just given my address as being in Illinois, and having presented an Illinois drivers license, I was still asked to register to vote. When I objected, I was informed that I could put down any address in the county, and I’d be registered and could vote until they struck me from the list -- if they ever did.

Needless to say, I declined. But I wonder how many took her up on the offer, even if they were not eligible to vote.

Now John Fund points out the danger to our voting system brought by this law and the practice of giving licenses to illegals.

The potential for fraud is not trivial, as federal privacy laws prevent cross-checking voter registration rolls with immigration records. Nevertheless, a 1997 Congressional investigation found that "4,023 illegal voters possibly cast ballots in \[a\] disputed House election" in California. After 9/11, the Justice Department found that eight of the 19 hijackers were registered to vote.

Under pressure from liberal groups, some states have even abandoned the requirement that people check a citizenship box to be put on the voter rolls. Iowa has told local registrars they should register people even if they leave the citizenship box blank. Maryland officials wave illegal immigrants through the registration process, prompting a Justice Department letter warning they may be helping people violate federal law.

Friends, I’m the election judge in my precinct. I’d like to think that every voter who is registered in my precinct is legally registered. I fear they are not. I’d at least like to believe that they are all American citizens, but wonder if the state of the law permits me to make that assumption. And in a state like Texas, positively boiling over with illegals, that could one day be the difference between our elections being decided by American citizens or having foreigners dictate our leaders for us.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson's Website, The Virtuous Republic, The Midnight Sun, , , Right Truth, The Populist, Shadowscope, Wake Up America, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Stageleft, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, A Blog For All, The Random Yak, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Grizzly Groundswell, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, Big Dog's Weblog, Conservative Cat, Nuke's, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Wolf Pangloss, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.